Technology in e-business

The purpose of this Chapter has been to present the main issues related to technology in e-business. Technology covers much more than just hardware. Software applications and standards play an important role in integrating internal and inter-organizational data exchange and processes. In this Chapter, current and major trends in systems availability, such as web services and SOA were introduced and summarized, as both aim to create flexible IT systems which can be modified as and when required. In IT development for e-business, selection standards are important, both formal as well as those developed by informal groups such as consortia. Payment in e-business is one of the areas where standardization is needed to provide secure financial transfers. Finally, this Chapter introduced the concept of IT evaluation, indicating the importance of looking at the benefits, costs and risks associated with system selection and implementation.